The future of housing in Australia is taking inspiration from the past, with multiple generations increasingly choosing to live under the same roof as the nation’s housing affordability crisis deepens.
What might seem like an old-fashioned idea is gaining renewed popularity, with families like the Allemans putting two homes under one roof as house prices continue to soar beyond the reach of many first-home buyers.
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“Definitely my generation, we wanted our own home,” homeowner Donna Alleman said. “I think the next generation are just giving up.”
It is becoming a popular option with some of the nation’s biggest home builders as families move in together to save.
“Honestly, I’d completely given up by the time I was in my late 20s,” Donna’s son-in-law Nathan Denchman said. “I was just like, oh, well, I’ll just never own a home, I’ll just rent for the rest of my life.”
More Australians are now embracing intergenerational living.
“I asked my husband to move in with his in-laws forever,” Donna’s daughter Jessie Denchman said.
“And we’re like, what are the boundaries that we want to set? And I was like, well, I like to walk around the house naked, so knock before you walk in,” Nathan said.
Australian families embrace intergenerational living as housing crisis deepens Credit: 7NEWS
Dual occupancy and granny flats have become increasingly popular solutions.
“We’ve got two living rooms, which works beautiful for us as a family,” homeowner Harriet Nelson said. “Also with the two kitchens, because we are a big family, we can use both of them at the same time.”
Granny flats are no longer reserved just for grandparents. Young couples are moving into properties at the back of their parents’ homes, staying close to family out of financial necessity.
“We live out the back of my parents’ place. I see my parents every single day,” granny flat owner Caitlin Hillier said.
“Bit too close. But honestly, it worked out perfectly,” partner Sam Cowlishaw added.
The starting price for these arrangements is around $160,000.
“It was easier for us in our day, and if we could do whatever we could do to help make it easier for them, then I thought we should do that,” Caitlin’s dad Martin Hillier said.
Caitlin Hillier and her partner Sam Cowlishaw . Credit: 7NEWS
The demand for granny flats has soared, up 20 per cent over the last 12 months.
“It’s predominantly been around family use and intergenerational living more than anything else,” Granny Flat Solutions’ Wally Gebrael said.
Economists believe strict inner-city planning rules are hurting first-home buyers, a problem consecutive Australian governments haven’t solved.
“I think first-home buyers really should be asking for Australian governments to make building more homes, especially in the places they want to live, their number one priority,” Grattan Institute’s Matthew Bowes said.
Until then, Australians are packed to the rafters, hoping to save enough to eventually make it on their own.
“So we’re thinking of staying here for about five years, and hopefully within that time we’ve saved enough so we can buy a house. But we will see,” Caitlin said.
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